Envelope
by KidHeart4
Summary: Phil discovers something and tries to get the information to the right teammates, but it quickly spirals out of control. Just a short and sweet story.


Envelope

By: KidHeart4

In all the time being with the team before Heart had never gotten sick. Her health had always been strong. Yet for the last few days she hadn't been able to shake whatever she had. After the fourth day of this Duke was rubbing her back to help ease the pain she was feeling at this point, "Should we ask Tanya ta check ya over? There might be somethin' wrong sweetheart?"

Heart nodded her head as she shakily got to her feet. Duke then lead her carefully down the hall to find Tanya. It didn't take long to locate her in her lab and ask for her help. Wasting no time Tanya walked with Heart down to the infirmary.

Once there Tanya began running tests, taking notes as she did. Meanwhile Duke waited patiently outside to give Heart some privacy.

It was then that their manager came walking up with some mail in his hands. He gave the drake a friendly wave.

"Everything okay Duke?" Phil asked when Duke gave a quiet nod in response.

"I'm alright, it's Heart I'm worried about," he answered.

"What's the matter with Heart?" He enquired.

"That's what we're tryin' ta figure out. She's been sick for the last few days," Duke explained.

"Aw, I wouldn't worry about it too much Duke, Heart is tough," he assured me before entering the infirmary.

Duke looked in to see Heart and Tanya both in one of the back changing spaces while Phil walked in and placed his mail absent mindedly on the counter. From it he pulled something from the stack and left it to the side for our team tech. before regathering his mail and heading back out. On his way by Duke he patted his shoulder encouragingly, "She's lucky to have you looking out for her Duke."

"Thanks Phil," Duke said in surprise as Phil left.

Later in his office Phil was going through the rest of the mail in his hands trying to figure out what to do with what. Placing them into stacks on his desk he came to a final envelope not addressed to anyone. He titled his head curiously before opening it. His eyes went wide when he read it, sweat beading on his forehead as he realized he had to get this back downstairs. Yet at that time someone knocked on his office door. Panic gripped the manager as he stuck some tape onto the envelope and shoved it behind the blinds of his window to hide it, taping it to the glass. As he didn't want this to get lost with his usual mail or other papers.

"Come in!" Phil called, trying to hide how nervous and surprised he was.

To his further surprise Officer Kleghorn had opened the door to step in.

"Took you long enough to answer!" He said annoyed, "Why are you so sweaty?"

"Uh no reason!" Phil shrugged as he used a handkerchief to dry his forehead.

Kleghorn raised a brow, "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing!" Phil insisted as he tucked the cloth back into his blazer pocket.

Kleghorn then started telling Phil about the sightings of the raptor he had noticed, asking about the weird activity with the sun, and other such things to get up to date. As the team's partner he needed to know what to look out for. Yet the whole time Phil was focused on the window.

"Seriously, is this a bad time or something? Are you sick?!" Kleghorn questioned, "You're acting like you're expecting something!"

"I'm not the only one it seems," Phil said under his breath.

"What?" Kleghorn asked growing more irritated, "What are you talking about?"

Outside the room Nosedive and Grin were coming back from an outting at the mall when they noticed Kleghorn's car parked near the pond. Rolling his eyes Nosedive shook his head as he went to investigate with his friend. Yet when they got to Phil's office they noticed something strange in their manager's window. An envelope taped to the window facing them. It was folded up again, hiding the information inside.

Nosedive let out a laugh, "Did he really think no one would see that?"

Grin shook his head as they went in Phil's office. Inside they found their manager sweating gumdrops.

"What's going on Phil-mister?" Nosedive asked with a pleasant laugh.

Phil waved his hands insistantly, fooling no one, "Nothing's going on!"

"Then what's with the envelope you're hiding behind the window?" Grin asked, getting straight to the point."

"What are you hiding Phil? It had better not be another crazy deal!" Nosedive warned.

"Last time you were this nervous was when Heart threatened to strangle you with those new jersies you tried to get us to wear," Nosedive laughed recalling Heart's rare outburst.

At the mere mention of their youngest teammate Phil grew more nervous, stumbling over his own words..."It...it's nothing...really guys!...I'm okay...I mean...it's...speaking of...Heart...um..."

"What about Heart?" Grin asked suddenly a bit worried.

Nosedive rolled his eyes again as he went over to the window and produced the hidden envelope. He held it up to Phil, "What's going on Phil?"

Phil bit his lip, trying desperately not to say anything. Nosedive tilted his head curiously, with a bit of worry now as well as he lowered his hand. As he did this the parchment unfolded revealing Heart's name, and something else. Curiosity got the better of the teenager as he looked at the notes written on it.

His blue eyes widened in surprise as he then took off out of the room. In his confusion Grin followed after him, then Phil, and finally Kleghorn out of sheer curiosity. Along the way Nosedive called Wildwing, who was helping Mallory with practice, on his comm to get to the infirmary.

Moments later they were downstairs and outside the room. Inside they could hear Tanya looking for something frantically. While Heart rested in a bed with Duke beside her. Nosedive's eyes watered as he looked at his little sister.

Heart in turn noticed her older twin watching them, his hand reaching up and running through his blond hair from his forehead back. Tanya noticed this too, as well as the paper in his shaking hand.

"Where did you find that?!" Tanya exclaimed as she took it from him.

"There was a bit of a mix up when I dropped off your mail earlier," Phil explained sheepishly as he walked up behind Nosedive and Grin.

Nosedive looked at Heart, barely keeping tears from welling up in his eyes. He wiped them out of his eyes only for them to be replaced by more, "H-Hey girly-girl, how are you feeling?"

Heart looked at Nosedive worriedly, noticing his reaction, "Dive what's wrong?"

By now Wildwing and Mallory had joined them, both out of breath from sprinting down the hall.

"Nothing's wrong," Tanya laughed cheerfully as she handed Heart and Duke the parchment finally, "But I think he knows something that you both should have found out first."

Heart carefully took the paper and looked it over. Meanwhile Duke held her close to him as he read it as well. Moments later they both looked up at everyone in surprise, tears welling in Heart's eyes as the news took over her.

"I'm...?!"

Tanya nodded with a pleasant smile.

Heart looked to Duke, shaking as she took in what she had just read.

"What's going on guys?" Wildwing finally asked growing concerned.

"I...I'm going to be...we're going to be..." Heart couldn't finish the sentence before shaking.

Nosedive couldn't take it anymore as he hurried over to her, hugging her, "You're going to be a mama!"

"What?!" Wildwing exclaimed looking to Tanya for confirmation.

"It's true," Tanya assured their leader.

Nosedive was still hugging his little sister, "I can't believe I'm gonna be an uncle!"

Heart hugged Nosedive in return, tears of joy escaping both of them. While Duke had remained quiet through this so far. Wildwing looked at him with concern, removing his mask for the moment. Then he approached his older friend and rested a hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay Duke?"

Duke:

I barely heard my leader as he spoke to me. I was focused on my wife as she sat in the infirmary bed with her brother hugging her still. By now Grin had walked up to her as well and was patting her head.

"I'm goin' ta be a father, Heart is..." I stammered in disbelief.

"Congragulations," Wildwing said to us proudly.

I looked at Heart still as she now looked up at me. Her sapphire eyes glistened with tears of joy, though I could see the hint of worry we were both sharing. Yet as I watched her now I finally pulled myself together as Nosedive finally noticed me waiting. He smiled and stepped back from her with Grin. Right then and there I pulled Heart into a warm embrace, my heart overwhelmed with love for her.

"I love you so much my sweetheart!" I told her as I held her close to me.

"I love you too," she wept happily.

"How far along is she?" Mallory asked curiously.

\ "About a month it seems," Tanya answered.

I thought back to the last time I had worn my stealth suit. Apparently so did Heart as she then blushed deeply.

"So the baby will be here in November then?" Phil put it together for us.

"About then, yes," Tanya nodded thoughtfully.

"We can turn my old room into a nursery," Heart suggested.

Wildwing chuckled beside us, "One step at a time little sister."

Tears of his own welled up in his eyes now as he looked at her, "I can't believe you're going to be a mother. It feels like just yesterday you had just shown up at our doorstep."

I stepped back so he could give her a he pulled away and stepped back I noticed Heart seemingly growing worried about something.

"What's the matter Heart?" Wildwing asked as he noticed too.

"Shadow, Dragonus, any of our foes! It's not safe right now for a child!" She said shaking a bit, "What if they are put in danger?!"

"Heart, you can't live your life in fear," Grin then said, "Use your strength as any good mother would and protect your children from those villains."

Heart looked to me, though I too had begun to worry about similar fears. What if my past tried to catch up with me? What if my child found out what I was and then hated me for it? Or worse what if they rebelled as I did?

Yet as I gazed at my wife I knew she needed me to be brave right then. She needed my support right now more than ever. Within her being my, our, child rested. Finally I stepped up beside the bed again and then pulled her into my arms once more.

"Don't be afraid my love," I told her as I stroked her hair with my fingers gently, "I will keep you an' our child safe. All I want ya ta worry about is takin' care of yourself an' our baby."

"Duke's right," Tanya assured encouragingly, "We'll figure things out when the time comes."

"We won't let anything hurt our neice or nephew," Wildwing confirmed with a smile.

"Guys?" Heart asked trying to dry her eyes.

"You just relax and we'll handle things!" Mallory insisted.

"But I have to help fight, we still have our mission to carry out!" Heart protested worriedly.

I looked into her sapphire eyes, my heart aching a bit, "Heart, darlin', trust us ta take care of ya for right now. For now you need ta keep our little one safe. We'll handle the rest in the meantime!"

For a moment she still looked quite worried, Yet as I then caressed her cheek, catching her tears gently, she finally gave a smile again.

"This is a good thing Heart," I told her with a genuine smile taking over me, "You're goin' ta be a mother sweetheart. Jus' when I think you've given me all I could ever ask for, you surprise me again."

I then shakily took my hand and gently ran it along her stomach carefully. Though I knew it was too soon for the child to be felt, as the same time I could feel an extra warmth from within her.

Heart:

As Duke rested his hand against me I felt him shaking a bit. I looked to the others, trying to ask them somehow to let me talk to him. Fortunately Wildwing took notice and encouraged everyone to give us a little bit to take in everything together.

Once we were alone I looked up at my dear thief, "Duke what's wrong?"

"It's nothin' sweetheart," he tried to assure me.

"I know you," I said persistantly.

Duke gave a soft laugh as he hugged me, "I know I'm happy, but I guess I'm a bit scared as well."

"Though not of the same things you said," he added quickly.

I looked up at him worriedly as he sighed, "What if my past comes back ta haunt us? What if our child rebels like I did? What if they learn what I was an' hate me for it?"

"Duke?" I tried to say, but he looked away.

I then noticed my older brother still hanging near the door. He had been worried it seemed, and he peeked in to ask if he could assist. I gave a hopeful nod. Then our leader approached Duke with an encouraging smile, "Duke, I think you're more ready than you think."

"How do ya figure that?" Duke asked.

"Don't you remember who pushed me in the right direction when we first got to Earth?" Wildwing asked.

Duke hesitated as I grasped his shaking hand.

"You encouragred me to be our leader, you pushed us not only for our team but to show how much you had changed. And I know for a fact that it all started when this young lady stumbled into your life didn't it?"

Duke paused very briefly before giving a nod.

"Duke you have done all that you can to make sure your wife and teammates are safe and well taken care of. You have kept her safe, even when you couldn't be around her because her being free was more important. Now you have done everything to be with her since. You've become someone I know your parents would be proud of. We're proud of both of you, and we'll be there to give you both support!"

"Duke?" I tried again as he looked at me, while Wildwing gave a silent nod and slipped out.

I grasped my thief's hand once more, pulling him towards me. Then I pulled myself up out of bed and stood before him. He then looked where our child was resting within my body and then back into my eyes. His remaining brown eye had misted over by now as tears escaped him. He then smiled as he embraced me once more.

"I will keep you an' our child safe! I will not let anythin' take either of ya away from me," he pulled away to look over me again, smiling through his tears, "You have made me happier than I ever thought I could be, an' yet here we are an' you're still surprisin' me every day."

Duke then knelt down on one knee and just held me, vulnerable, yet so strong at the same time.

Before long the others had all joined us again, barely keeping in their own excitement for us. Nosedive and Grin were already promising to show our baby the ropes as my twin put it. We then started talking about changes we would have to make to my old room and how to go about it. By now Duke had sat me back down gently on the bed while he stood beside me, simply holding me in his arms supportively. Though a part of me was still scared for our child's future, I was feeling more confident with everyone around to show their support as well. With Duke and everyone nearby I knew our child would have a happy life, and a bright future we would fight for.

"Wait..." Duke realized as he looked to our manager, "So you found this out before anyone else an' ya didn't come right to us?"

"I tried to, but Kleghorn showed up and I..."

Kleghorn shrugged, admitting this was true.

"But Phil, why did you think you could hide it behind blinds?" Nosedive questioned with a laugh.

"I panicked!" Phil exclaimed before chuckling, looking at Duke and I, "But I am very happy for you both!"

I smiled, looking at everyone in the room, laughing a little as I said, "No, this was the best way I could have found this out. Thank you everyone."

And as I gently rested a hand over our resting child, I felt an even deeper bond beginning to pull us all even closer together. And for this I was so very happy.


End file.
